Slow Cooker Chili and Cornbread

In my last post, I mentioned how we were still waiting for that big snowfall. Well, we finally got some snow and the kids got their snow day! Of course, the kids think the snow day came because they went to bed with their jammies inside out and slept with a wooden spoon under their pillows. (Think about this the next time your wooden spoons go missing!)

I couldn't have planned it better. The snow day happened on Wednesday - the perfect mid-week break. We got just about 6 inches of snow - enough to get you out of school and plenty for sledding, but not enough to break your back trying to shovel it all. The snow started to fall and after an hour, we had about an inch already.

This bird's no dummy - this is just where I would hang out too if the snow was coming down that quickly - a nibble of food whenever you get hungry and a roof to stay dry - or maybe the little bird is just trying to peek through my kitchen window to see what's baking. 

Slow-Cooked Chili

Serves 10

Note: This is your basic chili recipe, tried and true. The recipe came from my husband's Aunt Donna.  It freezes well too, so you could make this when your green peppers are plentiful in your garden and freeze it until the cold weather comes along. 

2 pounds ground beef

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 16-ounce cans beans of your choice, undrained, or one cup
         soaked and cooked dried beans (I like a mixture of black beans and pinto beans)

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin
Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, avocado chunks

Brown the ground beef in a pan and discard the rendered fat. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker. Using a clean pair of kitchen shears, coarsely slice the tomatoes into smaller chunks right in the can and then add them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 10 hours. (Or simmer everything on low heat on the stovetop for 2 or more hours.) Add a little water if the chili seems too thick, or cook uncovered toward the end of cooking time if the chili seems too thin. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools. 

Amish Cornbread

Note:This cornbread is the best - moist and delicious - and super easy. The cornbread recipe came from my good friend at Joy Beadworks who came upon the recipe when buying cornmeal from an Amish grower at a farmer's market. Make the cornbread the day you are going to eat it, or it will become dry. (Nothing a few seconds in the microwave and a spoonful of honey can't fix though.) 

1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
1 cup flour or 1:1 gluten free flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tblsp. milk
4 tblsp. avocado oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (The original recipe stated 450, but that seemed a little high to me.) Spray an 8" square baking pan with Pam.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the milk mixture; stir until blended. Pour into pan, bake for 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.

Hummus and Veggie Wrap

These vegetarian wraps are simple to make and so delicious.  Substitute homemade cassava flour wraps or collard wraps for a gluten-free version.  If you're looking for more healthy fat, add some diced avocado.  Bacon would also be a delicious addition.

Whole Wheat Hummus and Veggie Wraps

Makes one wrap

Ingredients:

Whole wheat lavash wrap (I purchase mine from Trader Joe's)

3 tablespoons of your favorite organic hummus

a handful of Organic Baby Lettuce leaves or greens of choice

a handful of Diced Seedless Cucumber

a handful of Diced Tomatoes

a sprinkling of thinly sliced scallions

a sprinkling of crumbled Feta Cheese

Place the wrap on your work surface with the long side toward you. Spread with entire wrap with hummus and sprinkle with the other ingredients, leaving a border without filling along the far end. A little goes a long way, and too much filling will make it hard to wrap up. Starting with the edge closest to you, start rolling the wrap tightly. Cut in half and enjoy a healthy, delicious lunch!

Cranberry Walnut Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite salads. It's a quick salad that requires no chopping of veggies and can be on the table in no time. It's sweet and tart and just plain delicious. 

Cranberry Walnut Salad

Organic Spring Greens Mix or your favorite greens

dried cranberries

walnuts, crumbled with your hands 

crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta

Place all ingredients in a bowl in the amounts you desire. Now that was easy!

Champagne Vinaigrette

from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar, or your favorite vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil, a little at a time, until the dressing tastes balanced. Toss with your salad and serve immediately.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

Tomatillos look like green tomatoes, but they are quite different. When they grow, they have a thin papery husk around them. They are green when fully ripened and used mainly in Latin American cooking. Tomatillos are the basis of Salsa Verde or "green sauce". They are crisper than a tomato and have a tart taste with a hint of lime flavor.

I'd never heard of or tried a tomatillo until they showed up in my CSA box a few years ago. If I didn't want to waste them, I needed to find a use for them. The internet is a great resource for recipes using unusual ingredients. Elise at Simply Recipes has posted several recipes which use tomatillos. Her latest was a Tomatillo Chicken Stew...I added a can of Cannellini beans and now I call it Tomatillo Chicken and Bean Stew. I liked the added texture provided by the beans but you can leave them out if you like. The tomatillo sauce was a little spicy for me - I guess the jalapenos I used were pretty hot. Next time I'd add a little chile, taste, and then add a little more if needed. I added lots of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream to cool it down a bit. It was delicious with a touch of unusual!

Tomatillo Chicken and Bean Soup

from Simply Recipes
Tomatillo Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos
1-2 jalapeño chile peppers, or 2-3 serrano chili peppers (include the seeds if you want the heat, remove them if you don't want the heat), stems discarded, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
Pinch of sugar
Stew:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cup chicken stock 

1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
2 cups tomatillo sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro (about one bunch, rinsed and chopped, stems and leaves)

1 Make the tomatillo sauce. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Broil for 5-7 minutes until blackened in spots. Let cool enough to handle. Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended. If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.

2 Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and adding more olive oil when necessary, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side. Then use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over and don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits at the bottom of the pan. 

3 Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. 

4 Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, beans and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.
Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.

Summer Corn Chowder

Aaaah...the first corn of summer...so sweet and crisp! I really think the best way to eat it is simply steamed with butter and salt, but why not mix things up a little and make some chowder? This meal came together in a flash. All of the ingredients were in season and I happened to have them on hand, which is necessary for the way I plan meals (I don't).


Most of the time I cook on the fly with what I've got in the pantry and fridge/freezer. Sometimes I think I'd love to change that habit and actually plan a week of meals, shop for that menu, and know exactly what to cook on which days. But that can be tough when you have an ever-changing schedule and kids going every which way. There is not always time to cook the meal you have planned. Belonging to a CSA also complicates a planned menu, because you don't know what you'll be getting from week to week. And so I'll continue as I have been...my huge aresenal of recipes comes in handy!



Removing corn from the cob can be tricky. I picked up this method somewhere along the way of teaching myself how to cook. No special gadgets needed (my drawer is way too full of gadgets!) First, you need a sharp knife. Then place a small bowl upside down into a large bowl and rest the bottom of the cob on the small bowl as in the photo above. This allows the corn kernels to be caught in the larger bowl without the bowl getting in the way of your knife.

Summer Corn Chowder with Bacon
From Bon Apetit June 2004
Serves 6

6 slices bacon, chopped
6 cups fresh corn kernels(cut from 6 to 8 ears)
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh fennel bulb (can omit if desired)
1 cup diced yellow or green zucchini or crookneck squash (about 2)
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes peeled russet potatoes or unpeeled red potatoes
3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add corn, fennel, zucchini, and potatoes to drippings in pot; sauté 5 minutes. Add 3 cups broth and simmer uncovered over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer 3 cups soup to blender. Holding blender top firmly, puree until smooth. Return puree to soup in pot. Stir in cream and cayenne. Bring chowder to simmer, thinning with more broth if too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into bowls and sprinkle with bacon and chives.

Butternut Squash Soup

The star of our garden this year was something I didn't even intend to grow! I noticed some type of squash seedling popping up here and there - in the raspberry patch and in the center of one of the new raised beds. I decided to let them grow to see what they would become. I never imagined they would be the most successful plants in the garden. Last week we harvested about a dozen or so big, beautiful butternut squash! I peeled, diced and roasted most of them to freeze for use in the winter and I made up a big batch of my favorite butternut squash soup.


...here's the squash, carrots, and onions sauteeing in butter.

Add thyme and saute until the vegetables are mostly tender. Add chicken stock and simmer until everything is very tender. Puree in a blender, add some seasonings and garnish with fresh chives. Sometime I'll omit the chives and mix in some curry powder when serving to mix up the flavors a bit.  It's delicious that way too!



Butternut Squash Soup

adapted from Bon Appetit

1/4 cup butter
5 1/2 pounds butternut squash (10 cups diced)
3 cups chopped onions
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
5 tsp fresh thyme

1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
7 cups or more chicken stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
fresh chives for garnish (optional), or sprinkle in some curry powder

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the squash, carrots, onions, thyme, ground red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the squash begins to soften and brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender right in the pot). Add nutmeg and heavy cream, and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with chives when serving. If reheating, add more broth or water to thin to desired consistency.

Zucchini Soup

This soup is an all-time family favorite. I've made it every year since my husband and I got married and my mother-in-law gave me the recipe.  The original called for canned tomato soup, but I have changed the recipe to make it all from scratch so I could use my garden tomatoes.  There's something to be said about a recipe that you never get tired of. I can't tell you how many recipes I've tried and, while it's wonderful the first time, the second and third tries just don't live up to the first. This one is different. It's good year after year and holds up well in the freezer so I know I'll have a quick meal to turn to when kid activities are many and time is short. I used peeled and pureed tomatoes right from the garden but canned ones are just as good. You could easily vary this recipe and add chopped carrots or white beans, although I think it's perfect as written.

Zucchini Soup
Serves 10

2 pounds hot and/or sweet italian sausage (I used sweet)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 red and/or green sweet bell peppers
1-2 hot peppers, chopped, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 quart homemade chicken broth
2 quarts canned tomatoes
2 good-sized zucchini, cubed
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp fresh parley
salt to taste
Slices of provolone cheese for serving, optional

In a skillet, brown and drain the sausage and set aside. In a large stockpot, saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Add peppers and continue to cook until the peppers begin to soften. Add cumin, pepper and oregano and cook 30 seconds or so. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, zucchini, sausage, basil, parsley and salt to taste. Simmer 2-3 hours. Add water or chicken stock if the soup is too thick. To serve, ladle into a bowl and place a slice of provolone on top if desired.